Rensel's concept looks neat. The patterns on the pillars are very ornate.

The new foreground palate also jives with the lava a bit more, though I really like the contrast on the mockups in the first post.

Speaking of the original mockups, Tweeker is right; they could use some shading where the rock meets the lava. I smudged some stuff and overlayed a transparent filter over one of the images to try to get a quick idea of how it might look. My work is horrible, but I think additional shading for the glare would help convey a sense of heat.

Perhaps this idea seems like a no-brainer, but since this is an ice level placed smack dab in the midst of a lava zone, should we have a lot of crumbling ice platforms?

I've had that in mind the whole time. The level will often "melt" right underneath you as large chunks of ice and even ground are being submerged into the lava sea. Plus the classic Marble Zone "push a block into the lava and ride it" gimmick, but this time with an ice cube that slowly melts.

This stage should totally have a snowblower badnik. It can spew out piles of snow that make it harder for Sonic to run fast when he ends up in them.

When I read this, my first thought was that it would sort of look like the buzzsaw beetle from Sonic CD, but with a snowblower attachment instead of a buzzsaw.

Resel, on Dec 7 2008, 10:27 AM, said:

I've had that in mind the whole time. The level will often "melt" right underneath you as large chunks of ice and even ground are being submerged into the lava sea. Plus the classic Marble Zone "push a block into the lava and ride it" gimmick, but this time with an ice cube that slowly melts.

I can see there being some sort of puzzle-like quality to that melting ice cube idea. Let's say Sonic pushes the ice cube into the lava and it melts, so Sonic has to reach another platform and push an ice cube off that platform, then continue riding on that one until he either needs another ice cube or reaches solid ground. That'll definitely work.

This post has been edited by Blue Emerald: 07 December 2008 - 04:59 PM

Alright, are you folks familiar with some writers keeping notebooks by their bed for when they wake up with an idea?

Well, I've had a similar experience with music for this level. I kind of threw this together, but it's an idea for a a slower chorus-esque portion of the level music. I had the first act in mind with this, going with the lava in future acts idea, implying something less pleasant is around the corner (act 2). I've imagined this level, being toward the end of the game, as having more serious music, perhaps even a bit dramatic at some points.